NASCAR: Driver Power Rankings After Second Michigan Race
Asher Fair
BROOKLYN, MI - AUGUST 13: Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Toyota, and Erik Jones, driver of the #77 5-hour ENERGY Extra Strength Toyota, lead the field in a restart during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway on August 13, 2017 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
BROOKLYN, MI – AUGUST 13: Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Toyota, and Erik Jones, driver of the #77 5-hour ENERGY Extra Strength Toyota (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
After the 23rd of 36 races this season, how do the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver power rankings look? Who is trending upwards after the second Michigan race, and who is falling?
With 23 races down, there are still three races for NASCAR drivers to lock up a spot for themselves in the playoffs. Which drivers have the best chance of doing so with the new playoff format?
NOTE: The “Last Race” category includes each driver’s rankings in the previous edition of the NASCAR driver power rankings.
Not Ranked
Jimmie Johnson, #48, Hendrick Motorsports (-1)
Ryan Blaney, #21, Wood Brothers Racing, Ford (-2)
Daniel Suarez, #19, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota (-3)
Joey Logano, #22, Team Penske, Ford
Kasey Kahne, #5, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., #17, Roush Fenway Racing, Ford
Austin Dillon, #3, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet
Trevor Bayne, #6, Roush Fenway Racing, Ford
Kurt Busch, #41, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford
Ty Dillon, #13, Germain Racing, Chevrolet
Aric Almirola, #43, Richard Petty Motorsports, Ford
Paul Menard, #27, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet
Dale Earnhardt Jr., #88, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
Chris Buescher, #37, JTG Daugherty Racing, Chevrolet
BROOKLYN, MI – AUGUST 12: Erik Jones, driver of the #77 5-hour ENERGY Extra Strength Toyota (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Honorable Mentions
BROOKLYN, MI – AUGUST 12: Matt Kenseth, driver of the #20 DEWALT Flexvolt Toyota (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
#10 and #9
BROOKLYN, MI – AUGUST 13: Chase Elliott, driver of the #24 NAPA Chevrolet, leads Jamie McMurray, driver of the #1 Cessna Chevrolet (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
#8 and #7
BROOKLYN, MI – AUGUST 13: Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Ford (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
#6 and #5
BROOKLYN, MI – AUGUST 13: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 Interstate Batteries Toyota (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)
#4 and #3
BROOKLYN, MI – AUGUST 13: Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Toyota, leads Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Ford (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
Do you agree with this week’s edition of the NASCAR Cup Series driver power rankings? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to follow Beyond the Flag on both Instagram and Twitter. Also, don’t forget to follow along with Beyond the Flag for the latest news, opinions and analysis stemming from a number of different motorsports series. You don’t want to miss any of it.
Asher Fair
Asher has been with FanSided since Feb. 2017, primarily covering motorsport – NASCAR, IndyCar, and F1 – for Beyond the Flag. He became an officially accredited media member in Sep. 2019 and was hired as Junior Editor in Oct. 2020. Following a promotion to Associate Editor in Jul. 2021, he continues to manage the site and also occasionally contributes on FanSided's NFL and NCAA sites.
